Obama Joplin Speech: President Obama speaks at memorial service in Joplin, Mo., May 29, 2011, promising aid in the rebulding of the city following the devastating tornado.

Blunt

McCaskill

David Pearson shovels debris from his home Sunday in Kill Devil Hills, N.C. As the East Coast begins its recovery after Hurricane Irene, FEMA is diverting some long-term funding for Joplin tornado recovery. / Shawn Rocco / The News & Observer

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WASHINGTON -- After a devastating hurricane swept across several East Coast states this weekend, the federal government has announced it will divert some of the long-term funding promised to rebuild roads, schools and other buildings destroyed by tornadoes in Joplin and other states.

Hurricane Irene's destruction has led President Obama to sign federal emergency declarations for the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 11 states as of Monday, opening up federal funding to those affected by the storm.

But the announcement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on how it plans to prioritize funding among the disasters has sparked outrage from Missouri Sens. Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill. They have vowed to push Congress to approve additional disaster funding so that Joplin's needs are met.

"Recovery from hurricane damage on the East Coast must not come at the expense of Missouri's rebuilding efforts," said Blunt, a Springfield Republican. "If FEMA can't fulfill its promise to our state because we have other disasters, that's unacceptable."

Added McCaskill, a St. Louis Democrat: "FEMA should be prepared for all types of disasters and have the resources to respond rapidly and stay until the work is done, and until the community is made whole again."

Rep. Billy Long, a Springfield Republican whose district includes Joplin, said he, too, would work to make sure Joplin gets what was promised.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to those on the East Coast that were affected by this hurricane. Those of us in southwest Missouri know just how devastating a natural disaster can be," Long said. "My staff and I have been in constant contact with FEMA to ensure that FEMA keeps its promise that they would see the rebuilding of Joplin through."

FEMA spokeswoman Rachel Racusen said in a statement Monday that the decision to prioritize funding needs is not unusual for the agency when the Disaster Relief Fund runs short of cash. It's been done in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2010 as a way to preserve the balance of the Disaster Relief Fund until Congress allocates more money.

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"This will not impact the individual assistance disaster survivors are receiving for losses from recent disasters, like the tornadoes, and will not affect the availability of aid for any people who suffer losses from Hurricane Irene and qualify for federal disaster assistance," Racusen said.

That means disaster survivors in Joplin will continue to receive their individual assistance payments from FEMA to help replace or repair damages to property or cover other personal losses.

The decision to prioritize funding also will not affect state funding for Joplin recovery efforts.

"States will continue to receive funding reimbursement for debris removal, emergency protective and response measures, and assistance to help with housing missions, mission assignments and other critical needs," Racusen said.

Longer-term recovery projects for disasters that had already been submitted by states also will continue to receive funding. The only projects that temporarily will be affected are longer-term recovery projects and hazard mitigation projects that had not already started.

"To be clear -- funding will not be eliminated for any of these projects, but merely put on hold until additional appropriations are made available," Racusen said.

That hinges on whether Congress will agree to appropriate additional funding to FEMA at a time when a newly created special committee has been charged with finding ways to cut $1.5 trillion from the nation's budget by Thanksgiving.

About $900 million is in the Disaster Relief Fund, which is less than the $1 billion that FEMA officials prefer to keep on hand.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., has said that any additional money for FEMA must be offset by spending cuts elsewhere in the federal budget.

"We've had discussions about these things before and (FEMA) monies will be offset with appropriate savings or cost-cutting elsewhere in order to meet the priority of the federal government's role in a situation like this," Cantor said at a news conference last week after an earthquake struck his Virginia district.

Meanwhile, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., urged this weekend that the Senate quickly approve the House GOP version of the annual Homeland Security spending measure, which includes $1 billion for additional disaster funding this year and $2.65 billion for next year.

"Time and time again, the (Obama) administration has ignored the obvious funding needs of the Disaster Relief Fund, purposefully and irresponsibly underfunding the account and putting families and communities who have suffered from terrible disasters on the back burner," Rogers said in a statement. "Now the administration has let the fund reach critically low levels, putting continued recovery at risk, without a plan for the future or a clear method for dealing with new disasters."